Chamber music dates back hundreds of years to medieval Europe when performances were held in palace chamber rooms.

While large enough to accommodate an audience, the spaces could not contain the full orchestras that one would find at venues dedicated to musical events. But more than just restricting the number of instruments involved, the size of the room resulted in a comfortable atmosphere that led chamber music to be referred to as “the music of friends.”

Whether played in private homes by amateur musicians or on the largest stages in the world, chamber music now retains a playful, relaxed style appropriate for a room filled with unpretentious joy. But over the centuries it has changed and evolved to match not only the popular preferences of audiences and musicians of the age but to incorporate new advances in musical instruments and acoustics. This particular evening of chamber music at the Saigon Opera House incorporates pieces from a variety of composers that reflect some of the different approaches to chamber music and capture the various moods, themes and styles found in the genre classical music.

The show opens with “Trio for Flute, Clarinet and Piano,” by Russell Peterson, an acclaimed American musician and composer who was born in 1969. It’s a jubilant piece that proves chamber music is alive and well today. In contrast, the evening’s final piece, “Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor,” by Johann Sebastian Bach, harkens back to the genre’s earlier eras.

Chamber music was not so clearly defined when people began playing it, and pieces could be played by either full orchestras or smaller ensembles. Thus, Bach and his contemporaries often developed works that were flexible enough for different settings, occasions and instruments. Similarly, musicians did not limit themselves to creating any one particular type of classical music. George Frideric Handel, for example, composed chamber music in addition to the opera music he is best known for. Similarly, Antonio Vivaldi is most well-known for his virtuoistic violin talents and his violin concertos, but he too wrote music that could be performed in a chamber, such as this evenings Aria, “Se il cor guerriero” from the opera Tito Manlio.

Austrian composer Franz Schubert is considered one of the masters of the genre, having devoted much of his life to chamber music. Despite his fame, his 31 years were filled with tragedy and hardship, which can be heard in his music, including the evening’s “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, op. 129, D. 965.” His legacy remains strong and he is routinely cited amongst 21st century listeners as their favorite classical composer.

Helping to give audiences a robust experience with chamber music, “Pavane, op. 50” by Gabriel Fauré, one of France’s foremost composers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries will be performed by an ensemble along with a work by one his contemporaries, Charles-Edouard Lefebvre. Jan Koetsier, a 20th century Dutch composer, will round out the evenings selection and underscore the genre’s popularity across regions and eras.

When chamber music began simply as a means of casual entertainment in Europe, few would have predicted that its ability to delight audiences would prove so durable as to attract excited listeners around the world in the 21st century. But the malleable form allows a great range of personalities and imaginations to conjure emotions from a small selection of instruments. The pieces this evening will showcase the beauty of chamber music and why it will continue to be cherished long into the future.